Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced the allocation of funds by the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) for three projects. These awards, amounting to $341,300, were sanctioned during APUC’s quarterly meeting held on May 29 in Minot.
APUC operates under the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and manages grant programs aimed at researching and developing new uses for agricultural products in the state. These grants are intended to support rural communities and agricultural operations by funding basic and applied research, marketing efforts, farm diversification initiatives, nature-based agritourism projects, as well as prototype development and technical assistance.
The projects receiving approval include Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, which was awarded $200,000 to advance an autonomous truck platoon program for sugar beet harvesting. For more information, contact Mike Metzger at 701-642-8411.
Picketa Systems received $75,000 to further develop technology for real-time plant tissue analysis using the LENS (Leaf Evaluated Nutrient System) platform. Inquiries can be directed to Xavier Hebert-Couturier at 506-426-1423.
Carbotech Technologies Inc. was granted $66,300 to perform a feasibility study on an industrial fertilizer production facility that would utilize lignite coal. Brandon Rust can be contacted at 619-357-2930 for further details.
APUC is scheduled to hold its next grant application hearing on July 23-24, 2025, in Medora. Applications must be submitted by July 1, 2025.
For additional information about APUC’s programs and grants, please visit their website at https://www.ndda.nd.gov/apuc.
